A Prince's Pain
by KingLover
Summary: A short story depicting Mothra Leo's sadness over having lost his mother in battle, and his determination to avenger her and save the world from the evil Desghidorah.


Mothra struggled to remain airborne as she flew over the ocean whilst carrying her larva, Leo. She had just had a long and brutal fight with Desghidorah, an ancient and evil kaiju who was unknowingly freed from imprisonment and sought to destroy humanity and nature. The Divine Moth had been summoned to face him in battle, but as she had grown old and weak, she was quickly overpowered.

But from within his egg, Leo sensed that his mother's life was in danger, and he hatched prematurely and set off to join her in the fight. Eventually, Mothra managed to lead Desghidorah into a trap by perching below a dam and pretending to be unable to move. The evil three-headed kaiju burst the dam open with a strong blast of lightning, and Mothra flew away as the water came rushing down, taking Desghidorah by surprise and washing him away. She then picked Leo up in her appendages and proceeded to fly them both back to their home of Infant Island, winning the battle but having yet to win the war.

But now, her strength was badly waning. The injuries she sustained from the fight were taking a serious toll on her. She let out a trill of pain and weakness and lost her grip on Leo, unceremoniously dropping him into the water. She floated weakly above the surface, no longer having the strength to fly.

"Mom?" Leo said uncertainly as he swam towards his ailing mother. Above them, a baby moth called Fairy flew overhead, carrying two tiny women on its back-Moll and Lora, Mothra and Leo's priestesses, and members of an ancient race of small but powerful humans called the Elias. They watched as Mothra struggled to stay afloat with her dwindling strength.

"Mothra! You must try to fly!" Lora, the kind-hearted Elias in blue, pleaded. "Mothra! Please try!"

"Lora," Moll, the more wise orange-clad sister, began.

"Mothra can't die now!" Lora persisted.

"Mom, come on. We have to get home." Leo said.

Mothra looked at her larva with blue eyes glazed over with weakness. "Son," she moaned, "I can't go any farther..."

"What? Mom, you have to keep going. We're still a long way from home."

"I'm too weak. My wounds are too severe. I don't have much time left..."

Fear and impending grief slowly crept up on Leo as her words dawned on him, then the reality struck him like lightning. "I'm not leaving you here to die, Mom! Not like this!" Leo tried in vain to lift his mother up.

"Son, listen to me. I need you to be brave. You are the world's only hope now. You must defeat Desghidorah." Mothra addressed the Elias sisters. "Moll, Lora, watch over Leo for me. Give him the guidance through this world that I can't."

Moll nodded in agreement, but Lora shook her head in denial, still desperately trying to resist the inevitable.

Leo's tiny insectoid eyes began to fill with tears as he realized what was coming. "Mom..."

"I'm so sorry we didn't get to bond before the fight, my son. But in the brief time that I've known you, I can already see the promise you hold. The strength, the courage, the power you showed, all of it will help blaze your path to victory. And one day, when you've overcome your most difficult obstacle, you will become King of Divine Light."

Mothra trilled weakly as she began to sink below the water. Her voice strained as her time drew closer to its end. "Remember, sweetheart, be brave. Give it your all to stop Desghidorah. Save the world from the impending evil, and all others in the future." Her final words were barely audible. "Goodbye, Leo. I love you..."

The Divine Moth disappeared below the water's surface as she drowned.

"Mom?" Leo called after Mothra even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "Mom?!" He looked into the water to see his mother sinking into the darkness below, descending farther and farther, until he could no longer see her.

Mothra was gone.

Leo and his priestesses watched in silent grief over the departed queen. Then the larva felt his sadness give way to anger and determination. He could not-he would not-let Desghidorah get away with what he did to her, to the world. He had to become the hero Mothra saw in him and defeat the heartless kaiju.

"Moll, Lora, come with me." Leo said. "I need to begin my metamorphosis."

Fairy followed Leo close behind as he swam towards the nearest land. "Moll, does he mean...?" Lora began.

"Yes. He's going to evolve into his imago form." Moll confirmed.

When they reached land, Leo crawled into the jungle and found a large tree that would suit his needs. As he sprayed it with his electrified webbing-forming the cocoon in which he would transform-Moll and Lora began singing a prayer to the Prince of Divine Light.

_You are born between sky and water, on a great green land_

_On a planet that reflects the blue of the sky_

_Mothra Leo, embody the world_

_You doze between sky and water, you spin a several hundred million year dream_

The silk Leo sprayed had formed a cocoon leaning against the tree. As the larva settled down into it, he could feel the changes to his being already taking affect. And even from within the dense silk, he could still hear the voices of his priestesses reaching him, sending him their best wishes as he transformed into his adult form.

_The midnight sun illuminates the forest_

_A drop from the midday moon wets life_

_Mothra Leo, flap the wings of life_

_You awake between sky and water, destroy the sleep of a group of fossilized fish_

In mere minutes, Leo's metamorphosis was complete, and from his cocoon emerged hundreds of tiny Divine Moths, which all merged together to form a single, kaiju-sized one. Where there had once been a larva, there was now a long, lean insectoid body covered in black and white fur, white feathery antennas, giant emerald spheres for eyes-with three gems inlaid between them-and stunning triangular-shaped wings, with patterns of red, orange, black, powder brown, and baby blue on an emerald green background.

Leo had become an adult moth.

"He's gorgeous." Lora whispered to Moll, who silently nodded in agreement.

With his newly-formed wings, Leo flew off towards the forest Desghidorah had awoken in, fully intent of stopping his ruthless rampage. As he soared through the sky for the first time, he sent a prayer to his mother.

_Mom, I promise on my heart that I'll make Desghidorah pay for what he did to you. I promise I'll stop him from destroying nature-and ultimately, the world-and fix what he had broken. And when all is said and done, I won't grieve your death, but live my life to the fullest to ensure your loss was not in vain._

_And even though you're gone, your spirit will always be with me, so I know I'll never truly lose you._

_Thank you, Mom. I love you._


End file.
